Rams' Danny Amendola's injury was life threatening

Danny Amendola could have suffered a punctured aorta as the result of his… (Chris Lee / MCT )

During last week's game against the Arizona Cardinals, Rams receiver Danny Amendola attempted a diving catch. He missed, but quickly got up and walked off the field while pointing at his shoulder.

First thought: broken shoulder. Later, reports were he suffered a broken collarbone. Today, we know it was much more serious.

Amendola dislocated his clavicle, but in a way that few people do. Instead of popping out, the clavicle popped in and came millimeters from puncturing his trachea and aorta, which would have probably killed him.

Thankfully, the Rams' medical staff quickly discovered the problem and actually put Amendola to sleep before popping the clavicle back into place.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported Sunday that the Rams called around the league to find any reports of any other player suffering the injury, but all teams said they had never seen it before.

Because of the freak nature of the injury, it is impossible to say when Amendola will return. He leads the team with 32 receptions.